Bonus material! Besides a glowing review of Wing Commander II, the November '91 issue of CGW also contains full page ads for Wing 2 and Ultima 7: The Black Gate.
Forums member Falcon988 came across an old review of Wing Commander I in the December 1990 issue of Computer Gaming World. The magazine also contained a time-limited special offer if you purchased Wing Commander directly from Origin. At no extra cost, you also received the Secret Missions expansion pack, a flight cap and a copy of the original game signed by Chris Roberts himself. The original Wing Commander hat has since become quite a collector's item!
This issue of Computer Gaming World also contains a preview for Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, gameplay tips for Star Control and reviews for SU-25 and D.R.A.G.O.N. Force. Check it out here. Update made possible by the excellent CGW Museum.One of the interesting features in Wing Commander is its fictional "campaign". The strategic map of Terran- and Kilrathi-controlled space gives players a solid visual frame of reference for where the battles are taking place and how close they are to the heart of the empires in conflict.
This "strategic situation" is an important element in the game. Which star the Tiger Claw [sic] settles at determines the nature of the missions which the player conduct there. Are there friendly bases there to protect or enemy ones to attack? Is this a major jump point which must be secured? The significance of one's strategic location is described at two locations in the game: in the bar (as the player garners the latest scuttlebutt) and in the briefing room (where the missions are assigned).
Bonus material! In addition to a glowing review of the original Wing Commander game, the December '90 issue of Computer Gaming World also contains beautiful full page ads for Chris Roberts' role playing title Bad Blood and Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire. There is also a piece with insights from Bad Blood's screenplay writer and game designer, Jeff George. Thanks again to CGW Museum for making this update possible.
Forum members st3lt3k and Wedge009 pointed us to the November '93 issue of Computer Gaming World. It contains a review of Wing Commander: Academy and full page ads for Academy and Privateer.
In all, Academy is a tremendously exciting game, one which provides many, many hours of play and replay. One of my favorite missions, and one which I'm sure goes against the Academy's code of ethics, is to set up a mission with only a wingman and no enemies (flying a Ferret is best -- they only have a single weapon, a mass driver). I start the mission and then turn on my wingman, going mano-a-mano until one of us blows. The combat is fierce, and the obscene shouts of "traitor!" really get the blood pumping.Good times. Other highlights from the issue include Gabriel Knight, Lands of Lore and a big article with gameplay tips for Origin's Strike Commander flight sim. Check it out here. Update made possible by the awesome CGW Museum.
For Wing Commander III we showed you an array of international articles... for The Price of Freedom, here's a nice collection of English-language previews and reviews!
With a short development cycle, there wasn't much time for Wing Commander IV to go through the same dog and pony show as earlier titles. One solution to this problem was to have the art team render, early on, several beautiful magazine covers in order to ensure press coverage. Four have been discovered:
The CIC's annual Fan Project & Web Site of the Year awards are under way, and we need your vote! A handful of nominees that contributed to the Wing Commander community over the past twelve months have been chosen, and Wingnuts can help decide the winners. Head to the voting page to cast your ballot. Thanks to those have already voted!
Don't forget to vote here!
Wing Commander III inspired more books than any other game in the series--not only an assortment of guide books, but also a novelization published in three languages! There were three different official guides--Origin's Official Guide, the Authorized Combat Guide and a Japanese-only book about the Playstation port. The Authorized Combat Guide was also translated to French.
In 1995, Origin created several beautiful magazine covers to promote Wing Commander IV. Rather than simply capture screens from the game itself, these renderings were unique works of art. Now you can see the original resolution images, as they were created before being sent off to the magazine editors! A fourth image was created for Electronic Entertainment, although the source file has not been located.
In 1993, Origin released an amazing Windows 3.1 screensaver package called Origin FX. It was filled with modes from all the top of the line Origin games... including two from Privateer! In one, Privateer ships fly around your windows... and in the other the TCS Paradigm moves back and forth in space.
AD found another article from Inside Gaming that explores the early days of id Software - particularly Wing Commander's influence on the company's growth (and Wolfenstein 3-D!). Many sources credit Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss as the 3D first person inspiration for the game, but it's easy to see where Wing Commander could have played a role as well. Wingnuts are mostly well aware of what Origin was up to in the early nineties, and this piece is a good review of what a contemporary was up to. Find the full article (and video) here.
But they wanted to be making their own games as well, and the dudes of id had a new inspiration. Wing Commander had released the previous year, taking the 3D mechanics popularized by Flight Simulator and adding a combat element into it. The result was a revelation to the guys, a three-dimensional vehicle shooter from the first-person persepective. Technically, this was nothing new: Battlezone had released all the way back in 1980 with the same basic mechanics. But Wing Commander had updated and modernized the idea, and made it look good. The problem was that it was slow. High-resolution graphics in three dimensions in real time was a huge burden on the processors of the time. But id’s resident programming genius, John Carmack, thought he could do better.In April 1991, id made Hovertank 3D for Softdisk to distribute. It was a 3D vehicle shooter, in which a pilot had to navigate his tank through a maze to rescue citizens while fighting off mutant monsters. Gameplay-wise, it wasn’t a revolution over anything Wing Commander had done. Technically however, it was lightyears ahead. Carmack’s engine avoided the slow jerkiness of earlier 3D games, and presented the player with a smooth, fast world. While an important milestone for the company, proving that the guys could handle 3D game design, it didn’t leave a big impact on the industry. As a Softdisk product, it was only available to their subscriber base, and thus couldn’t spread by word of mouth the way id’s Internet-distributed Keen games could
Today many PC video games feature some kind of wallpaper to pin onto your desktop. Privateer never had an official wallpaper but there was nice box cover artwork! We use that for our website's head as well as for the CD covers we provide for download. The original source was only available in 640x480, so we took the same models, threw them together and created a high-definition widescreen variant of the scene! It is available as a wallpaper package for various resolutions.
|
We've now gone an entire year without an issue of The Point of Origin - and this February 20th, 1998 issue is the first of three available for this year. What's more, 1998 is the end of the line... but at least we get to see some reaction to Prophecy!
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
Meanwhile, Wing Commander: Prophecy is racking up its own share of honors. Computer Gaming World awarded WCP Space Sim of the Year. "The in-flight action looks better than the cut-scenes in most other games. With 3Dfx support, you'll hardly believe your eyes," CGW said. Gamespot added two awards -- Best Action/Simulation and Best Graphics for 1997. "From the varicolored lighting effects in the numerous locales to the amazing green ripple effect of an explosion, Prophecy sets a new standard for computer game graphics," Gamespot wrote.... What can you expect from the press in the days to come? Strategy Plus magazine is planning a cover feature on Privateer 3 for its May issue. Expect that article to hit the magazine rack during the first week of April.
Welcome Back... to the Wing Commander universe! Privateer 3 is "in full tilt development" according to Executive Producer Rod Nakamoto. Scheduled for ship in the fall of 1998, Privateer 3 takes gamers back to the Wing Commander universe and lets them take on the rebel persona they loved in Privateer 1 and 2.The team was given a clean slate in a familiar universe. They could incorporate the ebst elements of the first two Privateer titles and build in their own ideas to make it the best yet.
"We're happy to have the opportunity to bring Privateer back to ORIGIN," Nakamoto said. "ORIGIN's people like to have control over their own destiny and we'll do our best not to disappoint!"
A recent brainstorm session with development and marketing generated a long list of reasons it's fun to work on the P3 team. The group cites great chemistry within the team as well as great working relationships among development, QA and marketing.
"What I like about this team is that they're very self-motivated," Nakamoto said. "They have a great understanding of this product and they know what kinds of products the ORIGIN consumer likes to play."
The team faces several challenges in development; the most ominous is probably the multiplayer aspect. The press and customers are eagerly anticipating a multiplayer action game within the Wing Commander Universe and it is a challenge to deliver it well.
"We're addressing the challenges with multiplayer by doing the hardest parts first. If we can get multiplayer up and running for E3 we'll have plenty of time for play balancing before we ship," Nakamoto said.
Nakamoto has faith in the team and credits their ability to fit in to a new environment and work as a team.
"This is one of the tightest teams I've ever worked with. The people who came over from Sega have integrated very well with the existing team to become one tight, very focused development team," Nakamoto said.
By brainstorming with designers, artists, producers and marketing team members, PR has identified a number of "key messages" or selling points that will put Privateer 3 in a class by itself. Among them are the extensive exploration, the unpredictability of the gameplay and the 2000 locales the player can visit. Also, everyone is asking about multiplayer. When the multiplayer aspects are playable, the media will be impressed.
Marketing and PR are planning a comprehensive promotional effort including preview coverage in all of the major gaming magazines, an extensive online program and even a couple of consumer promotions like contests and events. Privateer 3 is also slated for a major presence at E3 in Atlanta in May.
1. Keep hitting "C" key to talk to people.
2. When using your Dustbuster, you pretend it's the Marine LC.
3. You "autoslide" when walking.
4. When you see a roach, you start looking for its wingman.
5. You make afterburner noises when passing cars.
6. When pulling into a parking garage, you wait for the "auto" light on your dash.
7. You use the power mirrors in your car like turrets.
8. You get upset when you can't get a torpedo lock on a truck in front of you.
9. You think Mark Hamill is a darn fine actor.
10. You end every conversation with "break and attack!".
Point of Origin
Vol. VIII, No. 1 - February 20, 1998Contents Spotlight: The Point Presses Those Two New Suits
In Ink
F-15 Update
ORIGIN's Holiday Awards Ceremony and Festivities
ORIGINites Love to Eat
10 Ways to Tell You are Addicted to Ultima Online
Privateer 3 Team "In Full Tilt"
ORIGIN's First Annual Hot Wheels Grand Prix
Happy Days Are Here Again, So Let's Take The Day Off
Pics from Picnic '97
Ten Signs that you are addicted to Wing Commander Prophecy
The Future
Point Man
We are approaching the end of The Point of Origin - this (December 19, 1996) is the last regular issue (in Origin's archive, anyway.) After the end of 1996 there are only one or two each year... and they disappear completely by 1999.
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
ORIGIN has a couple of titles in CGW's space sim category. Privateer 2 came in at number two and Wing Commander IV was number five. "The Darkening looks like a fantastic game," editors wrote. "What great action -- the combat will surely satisfy any space sim fan," they exclaimed about Wing Commander IV.... Meanwhile PC Gamer is out with its Top 40 Games article. (Essentially it's a holiday gift guide). Wing Commander Iv, Crusader: No Regret, AH-64D Longbow and Cybermage made the final cut. These were all games that scored 88% or higher in PC Gamer this year. Take notice of this because it means that every PC game that this studio released this year mad it in the Gamer's Top 40. Congrats to all the development, QA and marketing teams behind these products.
Additionally, PC Gamer listed a couple of ORIGIN titles in its holiday season previews. Kilrathi Saga was one of those. "Here's your chance to enjoy some of the most popular and enduring space shoot-'em-ups around the way they were meant to be played." Another title in the preview category was Privateer 2. "If you enjoy the Wing Commander universe, it's a sure bet this will be right up your alley."
Speaking of Wing Commander, the just-released Consumer Guide's Computer Buying Guide listed Wing Commander IV as a "Best Buy" and gave the game a final score of 10. "Playing Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom is like stepping inside a movie. A perfect mixture of movie sequences and combat missions."
Privateer 2 is getting its coming out party in Taiwan. Check out the accompanying picture with this article from Soft World Magazine. The Chinese publication sent one of its writers to Austin a couple of months ago for at two-part cover story on ORIGIN. You may recall the cover of Lord British in the last Point of Origin. This month it's Privateer 2 featured on Soft World's cover.
... Next time we should have some reviews on Flash Point Korea and some of what the early reviews are saying about Privateer 2.
Wondering who that new guy is in the corner office on the fourth floor? Why it's none other than Rod Nakamoto, the new executive producer of Maverick and Loose Cannon Productions.A pioneer in the hardware and software industry, Rod comes to ORIGIN by way of SegaSoft. However, his first introduction to EA was way back in 1981 when he introduced the BockingBoard sound and synthesized speech board for the Apple ][.
From 1984 to 1992, he was president and owner of Interactive Designs. Working with a myriad of companies, he developed products primarily for the PC, but also for the Apple ][, Amiga, and Commodore 64. His successes range from the 1984 release, Ikari Warriors, one of the first games to utilize EGA graphics technology, to Sega's 1992 release, Eternal Champions, the division's first million unit seller.
He says, "I'm excited to be a part of Origin and hope that my efforts will be both fun and successful."
Welcome aboard!
Point of Origin
Vol. VI, No. 9 - December 19, 1996Contents Spotlight: ORIGIN Honors the Best
Product Support Spotlight
Kat's Korner
Centerfold Pictorial
In Ink
New Hires
EOM
Ticker
Who is this guy?
It's the last issue of The Point of Origin of the year - and you won't find a year with this many issues again. Now... where's Wing Commander IV? Old fans well remember the awful two-month shipping delay announced at the beginning of December... but there's surprisingly little note of this important delay here.
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
Meanwhile, the Wing Commander IV juggernaut continues to roll. Three magazines on the shelf now have WC IV on their covers (we told you about Strategy Plus last month). Overall, Terry Coleman, with Computer Gaming World, has perhaps the most thorough coverage. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that he spent an entire day with the team one month ago. Though he inflated the game's price tag a bit ($12 million) and had a couple of other questionable points, overall it was a good preview. Terry had high marks for the game's acting, story and interactive elements. "There's no doubt of the technical brilliance involved in WCIV," he wrote.CGW also listed WC IV among its Holiday Hot 100 games. George Jones wrote, "No series to date has managed to capture such a Hollywood feel and successfully combine it with such quality action."
In Computer Game review, where WC IV is also front and center, Steve Honeywell writes, "ORIGIN takes games to a new level." The cover article included interviews with several from the WC team, including George Oldziey, Chris Douglas, Tony Morone, and Chris Roberts. Honeywell says, "Wing Commander III broke new ground in the technical arena and its stronger, bigger sibling, Wing Commander IV looks to do the same thing in the artistic realm."
BTW, Wing Commander was one of the featured games in a recent article in Business Week. In Paul Eng's article about interactive movies, WC III was cited as "one of the better examples" of games that make extensive use of digitized video footage and Hollywood production techniques to create a new level of game realism. Eng wrote, "While the gaming sequences were enjoyable, I was so intrigued by the game's story line that interacting with the other actors became more compelling."
Did someone mention holidays? ORIGIN is well represented in all the holiday gift guides you'll find in practically every magazine this month. Computer Gaming World's Holiday Hot 100 included the already mentioned Wing Commander IV, Crusader, and Cybermage.
PC Gamer has its 40 Can't Miss Games for the Holidays... Also included were BioForge ("It's an amazing hybrid: part graphic adventure, part arcade game, part movie-and all entertaining."), System Shock ("As close to virtual reality as a PC game has ever gotten.") and Wing Commander III ("Still the reigning champion of space shoot-'em-ups, and it belongs in every gamer's collection.")
... Finally, hats off to the Wing Commander III crew for some top honors. Games magazine recently named WC III as the Best New Simulation Game of 1996. Also, WC III received nine nominations for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards. Nominations include Best Computer Game, Best Sound, Best Action, Best Director (Chris Roberts), Best Editor (Phil Gessert), Best Producer (Chris Roberts), Best Composer (George Oldziey), Best Writer (Frank DePalma & Terry Borst) and Best Marketing campaign (Your very own ORIGIN Marketing Dept.). WC III received more nominations than any other game, according to an article in the Hollywood Reporter. The winners will be announced at a special award ceremony on national television next month. Check out the AIAS web site at http://www.interactive.org. Good luck!!
Point of Origin
Vol. V, No. 11 - December 11, 1995Contents Spotlight: Our Best... And Our Baldest... Are Honored.
New Hires
Point Man
Spotlight
Off the Clock
Bits and Bytes
In Ink
Kat's Korner of Phun Pfone Phacts
EOM
The Future
Ticker
The September 8th, 1995 issue of Point of Origin has a lot of CyberMage and a lot of Longbow... but not much Wing Commander. It's interesting that we don't hear anything about Privateer 2 beyond the monthly collections of press clippings.
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
In case you missed it, WCIV was featured in Newsweek magazine in July. "Wing Commander IV director Chris Roberts used real movie sets to create an immersive live-action environment," stated editors in the mag's Cyberscope section. CNN also aired a feature on Wing Commander IV and the Hollywood production also received a write-up in Daily Variety. Rex Weiner called WCIV "The most expensive nonfilm tie-in CD-ROM production ever." Meanwhile, the WCIV hype continued this month in Computer Gaming World. In a news brief resulting from a visit to the WCIV set, writers for CGW said, "If Wing Commander III was like Hollywood, this game is Hollywood."Speaking of wood, The Darkening has wrapped up its production at Pinewood Studios in the UK. The first glimpses by writers who visited the set appear to be positive. Ben Chiu of Strategy Plus writes, "From what I have seen, The Darkening has the potential to take non-linear format interactive games to the next level in a highly polished package." Douglass Perry, from Next Generation, also visited the set. "While The Darkening is only 15% complete and has the Wing series to live up to, it's got everything to make its forebears shiver in their knickers." Douglass gets our award for coming up with the Point's Quote of the Month. The quote didn't come from Douglass, but instead from Erin Roberts drawing comparisons with Wing Commander III. "The technology we're using makes Wing Commander III look like a dinosaur," said Roberts. Ouch!
Finally, let's close with some honors. The UK's PC Gamer recently released a special edition listing that publication's top 50 games of all time. ORIGIN had six products on that list. They were: Ultima VII (Parts 1 and 2) #42, Pacific Strike #41, System Shock #29, Ultima VIII: Pagan #14, Ultima Underworld II #6 and Wing Commander III #2. In case you're interested, Doom II was listed #1, Tie Fighter #3, Monkey Island #4 and SimCity 2000 #5.
Other ORIGIN products were listed recently among Flux Magazine's 15 Essential CD-ROMs. Flux is a comic book/music/entertainment magazine based out of New York City. Editors had Wings of Glory listed at #15, System Shock #12, Wing Commander III #3 and BioForge #2.
Point of Origin
Vol. V, No. 8 - September 8, 1995Contents Spotlight: It's a Cover Up
The Gospel
Get out your crayons... it's Picture Pages!
New Hires
EOM
Point Man
The Future
Ticker
With the Arena artwork finished it looks like we're going to have to do one of these every day until the collection runs out! This is the April 7, 1995 issue of The Point of Origin -- and Wing Commander III is still on everyone's minds.
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
Meanwhile the Wing Commander III juggernaut keeps on rolling. On March 22nd, WC3 was featured in a 4 1/2 minute story on NBC's Today Show. Jim Brown, Our Man in Austin (as he's called on the show), put together a nice piece that included interviews with Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell and John Rhys-Davies. Jim spent a day-and-a-half on the set of WC3 last spring and finally put his story on the air. Better late than never, especially when you're dealing with the millions who watch The Today Show. If you haven't seen the program, drop by media relations in the marketing area and check out a copy.And the WC3 report card continues to show high marks. In Multimedia World, Vince Broady gave Wing Commander III a grade of 5 out of 5. 'Wing Commander III is one of the most addictive games I have played. (It's) a triumphant achievement that delivers a gaming experience that will enthrall you for weeks. Awesome on every level.'
Julie Cohen gave WC3 a rating of 3 1/2 out of 4 in the April edition of Home PC magazine. 'Heart of the Tiger,' she exclaims, 'quickly earns its stripes-and raises the state of computer gamer's art. A fully orchestrated soundtrack makes John Williams' sweeping film scores sound like elevator music.' Kudos to George Oldziey.
What's this, a couple more honors for ORIGIN products??? Throw 'em on the pile. This month Computer Gamine World inducted Ultima Underworld into its Hall of Fame... Underworld joins Ultima III, IV, VI and Wing Commanders I and II in the CGW Hall.
And at ECTS in the UK last month, Wing Commander III received Login Magazine's Game of the Year Award. Login is a Japanese-based computer gaming magazine that is widely distributed in Europe.
The crowd gathered around the phosphor screen upon which the multi-colored images danced. Their gazes were transfixed on the characters on the screen, compelling them to follow stories that, like most well-presented productions, took them through a whole series of emotions. In short, they were entertained -- but more than that they were involved. However, this involvement went much farther than the passive watching of, say, the newest television rage or film release. These people were participating in an interactive movie, playing on an IBM -- and they loved it. This was the scene at the 1995 South by Southwest Multimedia Festival that was in action March 14th-15th at Austin's Hyatt Regency.The scene described above was particularly evident at the booth that ORIGIN had set up in the exhibitor's room, where Wing Commander III and BioForge continued to attract curious conference attendees thirsting for an interactive, yet cinematic, experience. In fact, it was obvious from the onset of the conference that ORIGIN dominated the event, even though many other Austin and other nationally based companies were represented. From the keynote address by Richard Garriott to panel discussions led by Chris Douglas, Randy Buck, Jennie Evans, C.J. Taylor and myself, with topics that covered everything from digital music and interactive movies to marketing strategies for multimedia products, ORIGIN's presence was strongly felt.
As if this wasn't enough, another first for SXSW was the presence of an interactive movie panel at the film potion of the conference. ORIGIN once again let its presence be felt with the attendance of several members of the Wing Commander III team. Throughout the presentation (which, by the way, drew a fairly good crowd) Chris Roberts, Chris Douglas, John McLean, Frank Savage, Galen Svanas and Mark Day fielded questions that ranged from the scripting of Wing Commander III and the rigors of developing interactive products to the potential future of interactive production here and in Los Angeles.
All in all, it is apparent that Austin is quickly becoming a mecca for interactive and multimedia development. It is also abundantly clear from our presence at this conference, and from the response of a public that thirsts for creative and cutting edge entertainment, that ORIGIN stands on the pinnacle of this mecca, poised to take the next big leap forward.
Point of Origin
Vol. V, No. 4 - April 7, 1995Contents
Spotlight: Geeks o'Plenty! Our Wild Robofest Weekend
In Ink
Off the Clock
EOM
Another little ORIGINite
Point Man
ORIGIN Goes to the European Computer Trade Show
30 Fun Things to Do in an Elevator
Ticker
The 1995 SXSW Multimedia Conference, ORIGIN Style!
New Hires
The Future
Bioforge is GO in the March, 1995 issue of The Point of Origin. Will Origin's second big-budget 'interactive movie' do as well as Wing Commander... or will the concept of CGI and gameplay-based cinematics be abandoned for another decade? The answers, right now: no and yes.
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
Interactive Gaming, the online magazine startup from Computer Gaming World-ex Chuck Miller has awarded Wing Commander III a couple of honors. The game was given an Editor's Choice award and was named Game of the Year for 1994.Meanwhile a couple of ORIGIN games will be battling it out for one of CGW's Premier Awards. Both WCIII and System Shock have been nominated in the Best Action category. The winners will be announced in the mag's May issue. Wouldn't it be nice if one of those two could walk away with Game of the Year honors?
Okay, what's a coverage article these days without some Wing Commander III reviews. You want Wing III reviews? You got 'em. In the March issue of Electronic Entertainment, editors anointed the game as their "Game of the Month" and Al Giovetti called it "a bona fide phenomenon. This state-of-the-art game is a must-see and a must-play."
Reviewers at Interactive Entertainment, the CD-ROM magazine, had similar things to say about WCIII. "WCIII's movie sequences must be seen to be believed," they gushed. "The cast is superb, the movie sequences are some of the best you're likely to see for a long time, and the action is enough to make you fall out of your chair."
And right up the road in Dallas, Peter Bartholow, continued the WCIII love fest with his review in the Dallas Morning News. "Wing Commander III offers the best action and drama this side of the Ghorah Khar star system."
Meanwhile, the Hollywood connection continues to pay big dividends for WCIII. Rex Weiner had a nice feature on Mark Hamill in a recent issue of Variety magazine. Hamill spent plenty of time talking about WCIII and talked about how it's knocked his pal, George Lucas', game (Rebel Assault) off the charts. And in the March issue of Home PC, WCIII got a lot of attention in a story on the convergence of Hollywood and the computer industry.
But it's not just the star power that's winning points with reviewers on WCIII. ORIGIN's translations department got a big pat on the back from the editors at PC Player in Germany. "One can hear that the flawlessly translated German is being spoken by professional dubbing voices. This is the best dubbing ever done by a game company." Congrats are in order for Kirsten Vaughan and her translation crew.
Finally, if you haven't been reading the letters to the editor lately in some of the gaming magazines, you've really been missing out. Witness these two found in recent weeks. W.S. Corney wrote to Computer Gaming World and had this to say about WCIII and the state of computer games. "Now there are only two types of computer games: those before Wing Commander III and those after."
In Computer Game Review, there's an ongoing debate in the letters section on whether Wing Commander or TIE Fighter is the better game. I think Joe Folley has finally put this argument to bed. Joe wrote, "TIE Fighter has excitement, Wing Commander has fly-by-your-seat-while-dodging-the-bullets-going-one-thousand-miles -an-hour-strapped-to-the-seat-of-a-plutonium-powered-mega-machine -whiz-your-pants-and-scream-for-mercy kind of excitement. TIE Fighter was good, Wing Commander is one-hundred-percent-without-a-doubt-the-best-in-the-world -number-one-on-the-list-golden-triad-award-100,000-copies-sold -breaking-records-best-in-the-universe kind of game." Whew!!!!!!!! Thanks, Joe, but what did you really think of the game?
Point of Origin
Vol. V, No. 3 - March 14, 1995Contents Spotlight: Let Loose the Floodgates... Bioforge is Coming to Town
In Ink
The Number You Have Dialed...
EOM
Don't Try This at IBM
Caught in the Web
How Software Companies Work
The Gospel
Ticker
Point Man
New Hires
The Future
This issue of The Point of Origin represents a time most of us remember fondly - the release of Wing Commander III! The rare Origin product that shipped on time, Wing Commander III completely changed the face of gaming -- with effects which last to this day. But how was the launch felt at Origin?
A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!
by John McLeanAfter eighteen months of development, during which more than 140 people worked some 125,000 man-hours, Wing Commander III is finally heading out the door. And not a moment too soon. At a cost of $4 million, Origin & EA's biggest-ever Interactive Movie will need to kick ass and take names in retail outlets this Christmas in order to repay the company's investment.
Fortunately, advance orders and early public buzz are encouraging. In the inimitable words of Marten Davies, "We're going to blow the doors off worldwide!" The completion of this massive project also marks the beginning of a new era in the computer game business.
Although live-action video isn't suitable for every title, an increasing number of producers are discovering that real actors can add significantly to the impact of their projects. "Computer games will never be the same," says Chris Roberts. "And we're there to lead the charge."
Yet blending traditional art, programming and audio requirements with a live-action component complicates a project enormously. Alliances between computer game companies and Hollywood actors, agents, unions and crewmembers were unknown a year ago. Now they're becoming a regular part of the interactive landscape.
While landing Hollywood veterans for a production costs money, if Wing commander III is any indication, the results are worth it. An experienced crew and cast bring professionalism, name recognition and high-quality work to the dance. Though the film community doesn't even pretend to understand the technical nature of creating computer games, they're fascinated by our industry and, in the end, their goal's the same as ours--to entertain as many people as possible with each new project.
Producing a movie of any size is difficult under the best of circumstances. When you add to the equation the programming challenges of topping the popular Wing Commander game and the enormous art hurdles of generating hundreds of objects, sets and animations, the result is nothing short of a logistical nightmare.
"Damn, that was a lot of work," says Art Director Chris Douglas. "But we pulled through and hopefully managed to set a new standard for the rest of the artists in this industry."
Generating the tremendous amount of art, code and audio was one thing. Keeping track of it all to make sure everything fit together and nothing fell through the cracks was another. At the peak of production, four separate people were engaged full-time in tracking and routing the constantly increasing amount of material.
Right up to the end, the sheer size of a game packed onto 4 CD-ROMs created new challenges. "The hard part about this project is that we have essentially two gigs worth of data,' says Director Frank Savage. "The fact that we can even keep track of that two gigs of data and not have each version totally screwed up is something of a miracle."
Simultaneous with the final stages of development, Origin's marketing department has been banging the drum for the title at events in New York City, Austin, Los Angeles and numerous points in between. Meanwhile our sales department continues to pull out all the stops to make Wing Commander III the must-have hit of this Christmas season.
As to what's next for his development team, Chris Roberts will only say, "You haven't seen anything yet." Who knows, maybe there'll be yet another multi-CD Interactive Movie under Christmas trees around the world for next year?!
Back in this country, Tom McDonald is jumping on the Wing Commander Armada bandwagon. In the December issue of PC Gamer, Tom listed Armada as one of his favorite modem games. "One of the best arcade titles I've ever played head-to-head," Tom writes. "Armada has it all."And speaking of the December issue of PC Gamer, the cover has the Wing Commander III cover art on it. The guys at PC Gamer did an excellent job previewing the game. They even included the WC3 demo on the CD that comes bundled with the mag. Bill Trotter did a marvelous write-up inside. "Drop-dead gorgeous graphics," he wrote about Wing III. "The integration of digitized and computer-generated images was utterly smooth and convincing in every respect. The acting here is some of the best ever in a PC game." And that's not all, but space limitations prohibit me from going on.
It seems there are many others sitting up and taking notice of Wing III. Bernie Yee had an excellent article on the game in USA Today in the November 2 edition. That was a result of a Wing III press day in New York City last month put on by ORIGIN's Media Relations Dept. While Chris Roberts and Frank Savage demonstrated the game, cast members Mark Hamill, John Rhys-Davies and Ginger Lynn Allen talked to the media. Other media who stopped by to have a look included The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Billboard Magazine, Fortune, and Forbes.
Meanwhile, other gaming magazines are singing the praises of WC3. Bill Meyer of Electronic Entertainment writes, "Hold on to your joystick, because Wing Commander III is about to redefine the genre once again."
Bill Kunkel of Electronic Games, not to be outdone, writes, "The world of interactive entertainment has taken a quantum leap forward."
Charles Ardai, one of those who attended the NYC event, also appears to be in the WC3 fold. "ORIGIN's Wing Commander III heralds a new era in interactive cinema," he exclaims. "Chris Roberts has pulled off the impossible yet again; he's topped not only himself, but the entire industry of which he is a part." And Wing III apparently was music to Charles' ears. "You can hear the soundtrack loud and clear, and it's a beaut: a symphonic overture full of dread and mystery that would do John Williams proud."
Wing Commander III has also been featured on television quite a bit lately. This past weekend VH1 included a story about the game in its movie preview show "Flix." In recent weeks some of the WC3 cast have been plugging the game on national talk shows. Ginger Lynn Allen did just that while she was a guest on the Howard Stern show. And just last week, Malcolm McDowell did the same while he was on the Jon Stewart show. Last month, "The Computer Man," a nationally syndicated computer show, turned the spotlight on WC3.
And WC3 isn't the only Wing Commander drawing the headlines these days. In case you missed it, Computer Gaming World inducted Wing Commander II into its hall of fame. Calling it "one of the most popular games of all times," WC2 joins Wing Commander and three of the Ultimas in the CGW Hall of Honor.
Bill Trotter, who wrote the previously mentioned WC3 article in PC Gamer, was impressed with other games currently under development at ORIGIN... Meantime, the reviews keep coming in from several older ORIGIN titles. Trent Ward gave Privateer CD a four rating out of five in CD-ROM Today. "Stunning graphics, crisp digitized sound, and totally absorbing game play."
Point of Origin
Vol. IV, No. 61 - November 23, 1994Contents Spotlight: Wing Commander III and beyond
In Ink
Point Man
Haunted Memories
EOM
New Hires
The Future
Follow or Contact Us